This image shows just eight days at Folly Beach, SC. Each day I can fill one bucket, or more. As you would expect, a lot of the trash is just ignorant people tossing a cig on the ground, leaving fast food beside the car, or throwing an empty beer into the bushes. However, I also believe that much of it is accidental. The wind takes a wrapper away, a child opens candy or rips the tag off a new toy. I get it, but it all adds up.

How can we do better? I honestly don’t know. We cannot close off the beach. We need public access to the beach. That’s important. We also cannot just make higher fines because this is a quiet crime that no police officer will notice, or maybe care to pursue… I believe much of the issue here (and which much of our country’s downfalls) can be solved with better education and outreach. We need to better educate people on the environment, the amazing creatures on the land and in the sea, and the importance of doing our part for a better future… We need to do better.